Photo by Michelle Gray

The women’s Preseason NIT proved the No. 2 OU women’s basketball team has plenty of weapons, but in finals against No. 4 North Carolina on Sunday, the Tar Heels had just a few more.

The UNC bench scored 55 points as the Tar Heels (5-0) edged the Sooners (3-1) 80-79 at Lloyd Noble Center to capture the Preseason WNIT Championship.

Senior forward Ashley Paris was one of three Sooners with a double-double in the tournament final, leading the offensive charge with 20 points and 11 rebounds.

Senior center Courtney Paris added 15 points and 12 rebounds, as the two sisters received All-Tournament Team honors for their efforts.

“I thought psychologically we were really good,” head coach Sherri Coale said. “I thought we battled back and we could have just stuck our heads and gotten buried there at the end.”

It was a stalemate down to the final possession, where the Sooners had an opportunity to take the lead with six seconds remaining, but a runner by sophomore guard Danielle Robinson fell shy of the basket.

Robinson gashed the Tar Heels off the dribble for 20 points and her ease in getting to the basket caught the eye of UNC head coach Sylvia Hatchell.

“I’m telling you what, that kid can flat out play,” Hatchell said. “She was just unbelievable. We couldn’t stop her off the dribble. There at the end I put [Rashanda] McCants on her because she was big and I knew she was probably going to take the ball to the basket, but we didn’t have anybody that could guard her.”

On the afternoon, the Sooners shot 43 percent to the Tar Heels 45 and down the stretch, it was a tear from long range by the Tar Heels that gave them a two-point lead that they would never surrender.

Despite both teams managing only one three-point basket each through 26 minutes of play, UNC freshman guard She’la White rattled off three baskets from the outside to give the Tar Heels a 58-56 edge.

OU converted on only two baskets on 17 tries from beyond the arc and Coale said the missed opportunities were the difference in the game’s outcome.

The Sooners return to action on Wednesday when they host Marist. Tip off from Lloyd Noble Center is set for 7 p.m.

The Sooners earned the right to play in the finals by overcoming 21 turnovers to best the No. 18 Arizona Sun Devils 70-57 on Friday in Norman.

“It wasn’t the prettiest basketball game I’ve ever been a part of,” Coale said. “But it was a win against a very talented team.”

Courtney finished with 19 points and 20 rebounds, while Ashley added 10 points and 10 rebounds. During the contest, Courtney was able to add another OU record to her already lengthy resume as she became OU’s all-time leading scorer.

It took 16 minutes before she attempted a shot on Friday night against Arizona State, but no amount of physical defense or double teams could come between the OU senior center and history.

Fielding an entry pass from Robinson, Courtney spun to the basket and scored the 2,189 point of her career, surpassing Phylesha Whaley’s record mark of 2,187.

“It is a great honor and like you said there have been a lot of great players,” Paris said. “I couldn’t have done it without my teammates getting me the ball and also myself for missing so many shots and getting the rebound and putting it back in.”